Looking at what anything (a house, a car, a lifestyle…) I actually like costs, it’s just horrifying. I’m in that frustrating financial bracket where I’ve got enough wealth to make working a normal job I dislike not worthwhile, but not enough to provide anything more than a modest lifestyle. My primary financial goal for the past several years has been optimizing my investment portfolio; by this point I’m fully invested, and properly leveraged (my post on leveraged indexing is based on my own experience!). There’s little more I can do with it other than sit and wait.
To be honest I’m in a much better position than most people; if I hunker down and live like a monk for the next few decades it’s very likely I’ll become not just financially independent but also independently wealthy! There’s just one problem: I don’t want to hunker down and live like a monk until I’m middle-aged or elderly! For the life I want when I’m still young enough to enjoy it my investment portfolio just isn’t going to cut it; new money is needed.
Hustle, Baby!
I’ve gotta get some hustle! But into what? I detailed that in my post “Interests Too Many, and Never Enough”, but long story short I need to work independently (as a freelancer or business owner) in something I’m interested in, and my keenest interest (passion, really) is in dancing:
I’m determined to get more into choreography this year as well; from what I’ve seen choreographers do, and what I’ve read about the field, from start to finish I felt like “boy, that must be fun!”, and having gotten a bit into choreographing a dance routine for myself recently, it is indeed really fun. Even more than I expected! Doing choreography, along with dance instruction, is honestly far and away my favorite choice for a career, and I’m on track to get there in the near future; the way for me to learn it and start my business is clear and wide-open.
Goal one for me, which I’m working on as we speak, is to lose fat and build muscle: get lean, fit, and ripped, a physique I can be proud of. Goal two is becoming a certified dance instructor. Both I expect will be at or near completion by the end of 2022.
Hopping onto the Single Parent by Choice Express!
Those are my two definite goals. Upon a lot of reflection this week, I discovered I’ve got another definite goal as well, though that’s more long-term: have children, and start a family. When researching what went into my blog post “Of Single Mothers by Choice”, I found to my surprise that I have a lot in common with these choice moms:
I know I’d make a great parent, I’d like to have a big bunch of children, I know they’d have the best qualities and be fine additions to the world we live in, and I’ve got enough money to provide well for them, yet to do it the normal way imposes the prerequisite of sharing my life with someone else. I find very few members of the opposite sex attractive enough to even want to date them, let alone make them my forever beloved and have children with them. I’m 28 years old, and have never come remotely close to finding my special someone, so my outlook for finding them anytime soon seems bleak; it’s very possible I’ll never find such a person.
Why should I let that stop me from having children? I’m not going to let bad luck at finding a needle in a haystack stand in the way of my cherished dreams and my bloodline’s future. Single parenthood would suit me just fine; better, actually. The very idea of being able to pick out the traits of my children and raise them myself exactly the way I want (the latter is very important to me!) is so intoxicating it puts a smile on my face anytime I think about it.
I’ve got a more nebulous goal, as well: get into something with at least mid-six-figure earning potential. Teaching people how to dance pays a lot better than most probably think it does, and it’ll be good for both my psyche and my wallet, but nevertheless its powers to augment my finances are ultimately limited to below that level. At the rates ordinary teachers charge, even if I find 40 hours a week worth of work (very difficult), I’ll net $100,000 a year; at the highest skill levels perhaps $400,000 a year. So low six figures is pretty much the absolute maximum I’m going to get out of it.
Other Avenues?
One avenue that I’ve long toyed with is getting one of those licenses and going into real estate; if I applied myself I’m sure I’d be good at it, and the more time goes by the more comfortable I am with the whole idea of becoming a real estate agent. Why not turn skyrocketing prices to my advantage instead of whining about them constantly?
Commission on $500,000 properties sold at a rate of one a month amount to $120,000 a year; $1 million properties at a rate of one a week amount to $1.5 million a year. Only a few are anywhere near that successful at it, so the numbers are rosy, but they’re not crazy, either. The fact I don’t think I’d mind it too much, that I may well be good at it, and that seven figures is possible all combine to form an intriguing picture.
The only downside is that I’m not passionate about it like I am the dancing (to the extent I’m not sure if I’d even like real estate at all), and since that’s more important to me I’ll focus on establishing myself in the dance track first; real estate will have to wait.
Nevertheless, with all this together, plus my online presence already proving fulfilling, I’ve got a renewed sense of ambition and momentum. I’ve got goals, I’ve got dreams, and I’ve got a realistic chance of actually making them happen!
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